


kiss it better

by ndnickerson



Category: Nancy Drew - Carolyn Keene
Genre: Desire, Emerson College, F/M, Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Nancy Drew Files, Sharing a Bed, Taking a bullet, love-bingo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-27
Updated: 2013-06-27
Packaged: 2017-12-16 09:22:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/860524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ndnickerson/pseuds/ndnickerson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the love-bingo prompt "desire" and ozqueen's request for a story where Ned takes a bullet for Nancy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	kiss it better

**Author's Note:**

  * For [OzQueen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/OzQueen/gifts).



Nancy's head was pounding, and when she barely felt warmth against her numb wrists, she jerked awake, gasping against the gag. The last thing she remembered was the sicksweet smell of chloroform and a grip of iron around her wrist.

"Shh. It's me."

The place was pitch black, wherever she was; it felt close and humid, the air stuffy. When she recognized Ned's voice, even though she couldn't see him, she slumped, taking internal accounting of her injuries as he began to work on untying her. She only felt bumped and bruised, her arms tingling from lack of circulation, and she was still woozy from being drugged.

Once her wrists were free, Nancy brought her hands around and jerked the gag down, then took a deep breath. Ned had spoken very quietly, and that made her afraid to be too loud. "Where am I?" she whispered.

"The field house," Ned murmured. "But there's a guy patrolling outside, so we have to be really careful."

Well, Nancy mused to herself, at least she wasn't dead. She had been prowling in the office when she had been caught. Wilson hadn't done anything violent, at least that she knew about, and apparently he was too squeamish to do away with her permanently. That didn't mean he wanted her to go to Perkins with what she had discovered, though.

Nancy patted her pocket and groaned. Of course he had taken her cell phone; she had been using it to take pictures of the records she had found. She remembered enough of the evidence, though, to tell Perkins who Wilson was working with, and she was sure they could get at least one of them to talk.

Together Nancy and Ned untied her ankles, and Nancy wrapped her boyfriend in a brief hug. "Thanks," she murmured, and she stumbled just a little when he helped her to her feet.

"You're welcome, sweetheart," Ned murmured, and squeezed her hand. Her fingers were still numb, but she squeezed his in return.

The weather was just beginning to be warm again, but it was after sunset, and the night was cooler than the day had been. Nancy shivered as they made their way toward the door. They moved as quietly as they possibly could, and from outside Nancy heard a very soft sound, then recognized it as a man speaking very quietly. She didn't hear an answering voice, just a pause, so she presumed he was on a phone.

"Yeah, boss. The SUV? ... Okay."

Nancy made a very soft noise. Quiet footsteps shuffled through the dead grass, heading away from the field house. If Wilson had asked the guard to take her somewhere else, he would be going to get the vehicle, and that gave them a window.

"Is there any cover to the left, once we get out of here?" Nancy breathed.

"There are some trees," Ned whispered. "But they're not that close. Are your feet okay? Can you run?"

Nancy wasn't sure that she had a choice. "Yeah," she murmured.

They took the same window Ned had used to gain entry. As soon as Nancy's feet hit the ground, in her peripheral vision she caught the arc of headlights, and her heart started beating twice as fast. Ned tensed, then squeezed her hand.

"When I found you I called the cops," Ned murmured. "We just have to get through five more minutes—if we could get away, I could have flagged them down on the highway."

"You don't want to run?"

The guard turned off the SUV and shut the driver's door behind him, the keys jingling faintly in his hand. For a split second Nancy had caught herself hoping that he would leave the vehicle running and the key in the ignition. That would have simplified things tremendously.

"We don't have time."

And they didn't. They heard a frustrated snarl from inside the field house as he discovered the empty ropes, and then the guard bolted through the front door.

"Hide, Nan. I'll stall him."

Nancy shook her head. "Ned," she whispered, and then it was too late. The guard turned and saw them.

And Ned swept out his arm, pushing Nancy behind him, shielding her body with his. The guard took two steps toward them and raised a handgun that had been at his side. "What are you doing? Get in the car, both of you."

"No," Nancy whispered, more to Ned than anyone else. If the guard took Ned's cell phone, they would have no way to let the cops know where they were, and they would be in infinitely more danger. They just needed to stall; she heard the squeal of brakes not too far away and prayed it signaled the arrival of a patrol car.

The guard gestured with the gun. "Now."

They didn't move. "Look, it's over," Ned said. "It's done. Just give up. You're surrounded."

Nancy's heart was in her throat, but the guard's eyes widened, and she could see the doubt that swept over him. When no voices chimed in to agree with Ned or order him to put the gun down, though, the guard aimed the gun again, straight at Ned. "Don't think so. Now get in the car, before you really piss me off."

Ned shook his head, and Nancy could feel it, a sudden jump in the tension in the air. They couldn't run, but they had to do something, and she laced her fingers through Ned's, tugging him toward her.

And when the guard pulled the trigger, the bullet that had been aimed at Ned's heart hit his shoulder instead. She heard Ned cry out in surprise and pain, and all of her contracted in sympathy. She cried out as the guard raised the gun again, cursing.

Just then the long-awaited patrol car roared into view and slid to a stop behind the SUV, and the guard turned, shielding his eyes against the glare of the headlights. Ned had staggered, and he was turned toward her, his body still between her and the guard. As the first patrolman on the scene jumped out of his vehicle, the guard began to scramble away. Nancy and Ned, despite Ned's injury, sprang after him, and Nancy dove, tripping him. He fell hard, and the gun went off again—this time harmlessly, toward the trees.

"Hands up!"

"We need an ambulance!" Nancy called as the patrolman covered the guard, his partner coming over to Nancy and Ned. "Gunshot wound. Ned, it's going to be okay... are you feeling all right?"

He was pale and clearly in pain, but he gave her a small smile anyway. "God. Two more minutes..."

Nancy nodded, catching his good hand in hers. "It's going to be all right," she told him, giving him a nod. "Oh God, Ned, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," he told her. "You're okay. It's okay."

The wait for the ambulance was interminable, and Nancy kept pressure on the wound until they arrived. The emergency medical technicians took Ned on board the ambulance and immediately began to work on him, and Nancy stood watching nearby, her hands streaked with her boyfriend's blood. Ned's face was even more pale than it had been, and Nancy couldn't take her eyes off him. When she sniffled, a tear streaking down her cheek, one of the EMTs glanced over at her. All of them swayed as the ambulance went around a curve, siren blaring.

"He's going to be okay," the tech told her. "Far as I can tell it's clean, didn't hit bone. Were you hit?"

The other tech had already asked Nancy that, but she shook her head, sniffling. "No, I'm okay," she murmured.

"Your wrists are red."

As the second EMT moved away from Ned to find something for Nancy's wrists, Nancy moved to Ned's side, looking down at him. She laced her fingers through his and he squeezed her hand. "Baby, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Nan. It's going to be all right."

\--

By the time Nancy took Ned back to Emerson, the case was solved and they were both exhausted. She had recovered her cell phone—the police had found it in the guard's car—and Ned was still drowsy from the pain pills they had given him. His shoulder was bandaged and his arm was in a sling, and when he passed out on the way back, Nancy let him.

The doctors had told her, and they had told Ned's parents, that the bullet hadn't done any major damage. The bones in his shoulder were fine, and the wound was clean. He would need to keep his arm immobile for a while, and Nancy had filled the prescription for his pain medication, but he would make a full recovery.

She still felt insanely guilty, though, especially when she saw the long faces at the Omega Chi house. The Wildcats had a baseball game that afternoon, and Ned wouldn't be there, even though he was one of their best players.

And it was entirely her fault. There was no way Ned would have been anywhere near that bullet if he hadn't been looking for her.

Howie helped Nancy take Ned upstairs to his room, and Ned roused long enough to help them take his shoes off. Then Nancy tucked him into bed. "Ned, you hungry? You want anything?"

Howie shook his head. "Think he's out, Nancy," he said, his voice a low rumble. "You okay?"

Nancy sighed. "I don't want to leave him alone..."

"You look like you're about to pass out," Howie told her. "We'll keep an eye on him. Go get some rest."

Nancy lingered beside him, though, gazing down at him. Her hands were clean now, but she could still clearly remember the horror of having his blood on her fingers as she reached down and stroked a lock of thick dark hair off his forehead. A bit of his color had come back, and Nancy leaned down and pressed her lips against his cheek. "I'll be back later, okay?" she murmured.

Brook's room at the Theta Pi house, where Nancy was staying during her visit to Emerson, was quiet and sunny, and Nancy slept fitfully. While she was investigating a case, adrenaline and caffeine served to keep her energized, but that took its toll. Still, she was worried about Ned. When his parents called for an update, Nancy gave it to them willingly, then shrugged and gave up on getting any more rest. She had been too keyed up to eat, and her stomach was protesting loudly. She took a quick shower and dressed in clean shorts and a pale green shirt, slipped into her sandals, and headed over to the Omega house again.

She was only a little surprised to see that Ned was awake too. He was on the couch in the common area, in front of the television set, and six of his fraternity brothers were there with him. He still looked tired, but his face lit up when he saw Nancy.

"Hey sweetheart."

The guys greeted her too, and when Ned moved to get up off the couch, Nancy shook her head. "No, no, don't get up. I was just wondering if you wanted some dinner, how you're feeling."

At the mention of dinner, the guys immediately started talking about delivery options, scrounging in the kitchen for menus. They insisted that Nancy sit down while they handled it, and she took the seat beside Ned, smiling when he wrapped his good arm around her shoulders.

"Are you okay?"

"I think I'll be better off tomorrow," Ned told her, swallowing a yawn. "It's still a little hard to concentrate, but I didn't want to miss the rest of your visit."

She had been considering that herself, and she patted his knee. "Well... I talked to my dad, and I told him I really think I should stay another week. I feel so terrible that you got hurt—"

"Nan," Ned murmured, shaking his head.

"—and he said it was okay, so I'm here to do whatever you need me to do, because you wouldn't have even gotten hurt if you hadn't been looking for me..."

Nancy trailed off as Ned studied her face, then bent in and kissed her cheek. "But it would have been a lot worse if you hadn't pulled me out of the way," he reminded her. "And if I hadn't found you? Oh, sweetheart. The doc said I'll be okay, and I would much rather have to wear a sling than to know that guy had you. I'm just so glad you're safe."

The night turned into a pizza party with beer, although Nancy was already feeling exhausted and she didn't need any alcohol on top of it, and Ned didn't want to drink with his pain medication. Howie and Mike kept them updated on the baseball game's score, and Nancy could tell that Ned was sad to be missing it, but there was nothing either of them could have done. Nancy hated that. Ned had always excelled in athletics, and his coaches had long boasted that he was pro material in any sport he might choose to pursue. Nancy prayed that the doctor was right, and he would heal without any lasting repercussions from the injury.

The Wildcats won the baseball match, though the score was close, and the party became a celebration. Someone turned on some music, and several of the Theta Pi sisters were at the house visiting, along with the girlfriends of the Omega Chi brothers. Ned asked if Nancy wanted to dance, and she told him she didn't want to put any unnecessary stress on his arm. When one of the other brothers asked if she wanted to dance, though, Nancy gave in to Ned's request and they slowly swayed with each other, Nancy's arm resting against his uninjured shoulder.

Ned had decided he wanted to at least attempt to attend class in the morning, so he called it a night fairly early, and Nancy let him lean on her as she helped him go upstairs. She was feeling tired too, and she told him that if he wanted her to go with him to class to help him take notes or stay awake, or even to carry his books, she would be happy to do that.

Ned chuckled as they went into his room together. "I think that's supposed to be my job," he pointed out.

"Considering how much help you've given me on this case, and all the others I've taken here? I think you deserve it," she told him with a smile. "It's the least I can do."

"Nan," Ned sighed, and sat down at the foot of his bed. "Sweetheart, I told you. It's no big deal."

"It is a big deal," she insisted. When they had been at the hospital, or even downstairs among his fraternity brothers, she had backed down and stifled her feelings. Now that they were alone, though, the anxiety and fear she had felt began to come out. "You could have died, Ned. And that scares the hell out of me."

He held his hand out to her, and Nancy came over to him. "Does it really suck? Yeah," he murmured. "Of course I'm not happy I was shot, Nan. And you're right. If you hadn't been as quick as you were, things would have been a lot worse.

"But it kills me that I wasn't able to go with you last night. I wish I had—"

Nancy touched his lips with her finger, quieting him. "And if you had, and we had both been caught, then where would we be right now?" she whispered, her blue eyes searching his.

"Exactly," he murmured, and kissed her fingertip. "We can't look at what-if. You're safe, I'm going to be fine... and if I had to do it over again, if ever I'm with you and you're in danger, then I will always do everything I can to keep you safe. Always. I don't regret doing that last night."

Nancy let out a long, trembling sigh. "I never want the people I love to be in danger," she murmured. "Especially you, with what happened..."

"And I never want the people I love to be in danger either," Ned murmured, a gleam in his eye. "So, Detective Drew, I guess you'll just need to accept that for as long as you're chasing criminals, your loving boyfriend will be by your side, in the thick of it, with you as often as I can be."

She wrinkled her nose teasingly as she leaned down and gave him a soft kiss. "Sneaky, Nickerson," she murmured.

"Not sneaky," Ned said. "Just the truth, sweetheart."

She kissed him again. "You need your rest," she murmured. "Do you need me to get you anything? Do you want me to come by and go with you to your classes in the morning?"

Ned paused. "There is one thing..." he murmured, then looked into her eyes. "Would you mind staying with me until I fall asleep?"

Nancy felt a slight flush rise in her cheeks. She already felt a little nervous, being alone with Ned in his bedroom with the door closed. The sweet, almost pleading expression in his brown eyes, though, gave her pause. "Just until you fall asleep?"

He nodded, then heaved a small sigh. "But you're tired, and I'm sure you want to get back to Brook's room..."

Immediately a protest rose to her lips. "No, it's okay," she said, and stroked his cheek. "Let me just borrow some toothpaste."

\--

Ned Nickerson didn't consider himself a masochist. He didn't like torturing himself. Then again, he hadn't actually expected Nancy to go along with his suggestion.

Three nights after the shooting, Ned rose from his bed in deep night to go to the bathroom. The television was still on downstairs in the Omega house common room, but then the television was almost always on. When he came back to his room, he made out the shape of Nancy's suitcase, her jeans folded and on top, her tennis shoes glowing white on the carpet beside it.

His girlfriend was asleep in his bed, just as she had been when he had left it.

Ned was practically holding his breath as he shuffled to his side of the bed, then eased himself down to the mattress. Nancy barely moved. She had one arm folded under her head, the other hand loosely clasped about the top of the blanket. She was on her side facing away from him, and her breathing was almost silent.

The first two days, they had spent all their time together, but her belongings had still been in Brook's room. Ned hadn't minded letting her borrow his shirts to sleep in, not at all. She looked adorable in his Wildcats t-shirt, miles of long tanned leg showing beneath. Today he had told her to go ahead and get her suitcase from Brook's room and bring it over, since she wasn't spending any time over there anyway. And she had agreed.

His brothers gave him congratulatory high-fives and knowing grins when they saw Nancy come out of his room in the mornings, but only Mike knew how innocent their relationship was. Considering how happy many of Ned's peers would have been to share his bed, he had heard it murmured or outright spoken time and time again: the pretty redhead must be a tiger in the sack to keep him faithful, especially since she was away from Emerson for months at a time.

But they had met when she was fifteen, and she had been shy and nervous about going too far or too fast with him. He loved kissing her, he loved holding her, and occasionally he couldn't resist trying to cop a feel, but she had always dissuaded that. And yet some part of him had thought it would be a good idea to have his sweet, shy, virginal girlfriend share his bed.

At least seven hours beside her every night. Long smooth legs, bare skin brushing his under the sheets. That soft contented sigh she made when she settled under the covers. The way his mind always wandered to incredible scenarios he tried so hard to stop himself from even imagining—that she would roll over in her sleep, and her hand would brush his crotch blindly in the dark; that if she found him aroused she would react with immediate, almost violent desire instead of disgust and mortification. God, so many times he had just wanted to touch her, just touch her as she slept beside him, but he didn't want to upset her. He couldn't even curl up behind her and spoon up with her; if he became aroused, as he almost always did...

Ned settled down against his pillow with a quiet sigh. His room was dark, but his eyes had adjusted and he could see the faint outline of her. Even though he knew guilt was behind her insistence on staying with him, he had loved spending the past few days with her without a mystery or other distractions to separate them. They ate their meals together, and she even went to some of his classes with him. He had caught himself daydreaming about how amazing it would be for her to attend Emerson with him, for them to be like this a lot more often.

He wasn't holding out hope for that, though. His girlfriend was whip-smart, quick-witted and adventurous, but college didn't seem to be a part of her game plan. For a while Ned had struggled with how independent she was, but observing the other couples he knew at Emerson had helped. He had heard horror stories about clingy, needy girlfriends who were constantly checking on their boyfriends, insanely jealous and planning their weddings a month after they started dating. Girls in their first major relationships were supposed to be just that bad, even worse.

And Ned was Nancy's first longtime boyfriend. He loved her, and he thought she was the most gorgeous girl he had ever met. She wasn't strikingly beautiful; she didn't have that aloof, intensely angular, almost disdainful look about her. Her nose was lightly dusted with freckles and her blue eyes were almost always dancing, and when they were together it was just natural to touch her, to lace his fingers through hers. Sometimes when they were alone she cuddled up against him, resting her head on his shoulder, and he felt utterly content.

She was gorgeous because of who she was and he loved her, inside and out. He just wanted so much to be with her, and sleeping beside her... he knew he needed to be careful and move slowly, but if she was okay with sleeping beside him now, maybe they could keep sleeping together when they were together or when he was helping her on cases. Especially once his arm was healed.

Moving slowly, Ned shifted and tried to keep from disturbing his girlfriend, but she made a soft noise. "Mmm. You okay?" she murmured, her voice thick with sleep, as she turned to glance over at him.

"I'm fine, sweetheart. Go back to sleep."

She smiled and put her head back down, moving closer to him. When Ned looped his arm around her, she settled against his shoulder, and she was asleep again in a handful of seconds.

Oh, he was in hell. But it was the most beautiful hell he could have imagined.

\--

While Nancy's father had said he was okay with her staying at Emerson longer than she had originally intended, soon her visit was almost over. She would be leaving on Sunday to return to River Heights, and while Ned clearly didn't want her to leave, he was getting by with his injured shoulder, and he would be okay without her.

And Nancy was surprised by how much she had enjoyed staying with him and spending time with him. She had always known that she loved her boyfriend, but she did have to admit that they didn't spend much uninterrupted time together. Ned was always on the move and so was she, investigating cases or participating in one of Emerson's many sporting events. But her case was solved, and Ned was unable to play for the Wildcats, and so she went with him to class, to lunch and dinner, and even slept in the same bed with him.

That still seemed unbelievable. She had slept in the same bed with Ned Nickerson. Multiple times. Most of a week. She had been cuddled up to him in nightclothes and not too much else.

And he hadn't tried anything.

Nancy had always considered herself a good girl, and she knew Ned was a great, decent guy. She had always been reluctant to take their relationship too far, and sleeping in the same bed with him had definitely fallen outside her comfort zone. But what she couldn't figure out was why she was disappointed that he hadn't tried anything.

Granted, she had been coming to bed in a pair of shorts and an oversized t-shirt. Granted, he was still a little messed up from his pain pills, and while she wanted nothing more than to lie awake talking to him until the small hours of the morning, he needed his rest, and she had respected that.

She had always been the one to pull back and stop him whenever he went too far. And maybe, she thought ruefully, she had been a little too assiduous and prim. It wasn't that she wanted to go all the way with him, but the fact that he hadn't even tried... it made her wonder if he didn't desire her, if she had misread all his signals over the years. If he had just made the attempts to caress or stroke her because that was what was expected, because he had known that she would turn him down...

But she couldn't make herself believe that. She had seen the pleading in his eyes, heard the breathlessness in his voice, when they had been close before. He did want her. Her head knew that.

Her heart wanted him to show it.

She hadn't packed quite enough clothes for the duration of her stay; while she had a few extra outfits, she had taken the time to raid the campus bookstore for a few cute tank tops and slim-fit t-shirts. Then Ned went to a study session on Thursday afternoon, and Nancy took the opportunity to hit the mall. She was practically out of shampoo, too.

Ned had a light course schedule on Friday, and Nancy crossed her fingers, hoping that Ned wouldn't react badly to what she was thinking about doing. It was Thursday night, and Ned was in the bathroom brushing his teeth and getting ready for bed when Nancy changed into her sleepwear. She had found a sweet camisole and shorts set in light grey cotton trimmed in eyelet lace with a pink ribbon bow at the deepest point of the neckline, and while she knew it wasn't typically seductive, she also didn't want her boyfriend to seduce her. She just wanted him to get a little closer to her, and she thought the outfit might send the right signal.

Nervously Nancy brushed her hand through her hair as the doorknob turned, and Ned stepped into his room. She was sitting in his desk chair with her legs crossed, and when he saw her mostly-bare legs and bare arms, she saw what she had been hoping she would. His already-dark eyes darkened a little as he closed the door behind him, and his lips turned up.

"You definitely look ready for bed," he murmured, and Nancy's eyebrow quirked up for a second at the double entendre. She nodded anyway, and Ned flipped off the light, then turned on the light at his bedside. "Mind helping me take my shirt off?"

Nancy shook her head, coming over to him. The fabric of her outfit was thin, and the desire in his gaze was making her feel even more naked than she had. His skin was so deliciously warm under her touch as she helped him, and once he was barechested, he caught her hand in his.

"You look so pretty, sweetheart," he murmured, and when he moved closer to her, Nancy tipped her head back, offering herself for a kiss. He leaned down and Nancy threaded her fingers through his hair, her lips parting beneath his.

They kissed until Nancy was breathless and weak in the knees, and when he moved toward his bed, Nancy followed. Just as they had every night that week, they both slipped under the covers, and Nancy felt just as nervous as she had that first night, when she had wondered if he would take advantage of her accepting his invitation. She hadn't even wanted to get into his bed that first night, but she had been tired and she had wanted to be close to him... and while they had both been exhausted, her heart had beat faster every time he shifted beside her, wondering if he was going to touch her, wondering if she was going to have to tell him to stop—if she even would tell him to stop.

She had trusted Ned to respect the boundaries she had put down early in their relationship, and he had. Most of the people who had known them for a long time, save her best friends who knew almost everything about her relationship with Ned, assumed that they had been much more physical than they actually had been. She didn't doubt that some of them thought she had slept with Ned. His fraternity brothers were definitely giving that impression, although they did at least attempt to limit their congratulatory gestures to when they thought she wasn't looking.

They were sitting up together, and she cupped his face, gazing into his dark eyes. He slipped his good arm around her and Nancy moved close to him, shivering softly when he kissed her again. His mouth tasted like a trace of toothpaste, and he made a soft sound when she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Is this okay?" he murmured when she broke the kiss, her face still close to his.

"Mmm-hmm." She had a small smile on her face when she pulled back to look at him again. "Definitely better than okay."

They had made out during her visit, just not when they were alone together in his room—and when they were like this, there was no natural way for her to leave, no curfew to end things. She kissed the corner of his mouth and Ned tipped toward her again, his good hand sliding up her spine. His tongue was in her mouth when his fingertips drifted back down and toyed with the hem of her shirt, but didn't dip underneath.

Nancy felt lightheaded as she stood up on her knees to move a little closer to him, her tongue sliding against his. She stroked his good shoulder and his shoulder blade, his bare skin deliciously warm under her fingertips, and he drew his short nails against the small of her back.

God, she felt so tense with anticipation, and she wasn't even sure what she was waiting for. "This is a weird angle," Ned murmured, then kissed her lightly again and nuzzled against her neck. "Would you mind sitting on my lap?"

Nancy blushed. "I'd crush you," she objected.

Ned chuckled, running his fingers through her hair. "You won't," he murmured, and his gaze flicked from her lips up to her eyes.

She took a deep breath, then compromised by swinging her knee over his legs, straddling him. She settled down and Ned kissed her hungrily, his arm sliding around her again. She could feel his fingers pressing against her hip as she ran her fingers through his hair, her heart pounding. It felt like the first time she had ever kissed him; it felt like every time she had ever kissed him.

It swept over her like a hum, her desire. She kissed him over and over and moved closer to him, until she was sitting on his upper thighs and their bodies were close. The hum became a soft audible moan, and she shuddered when his fingertips brushed lightly over the small of her back, beneath the hem of her shirt. His warm skin against hers.

As though to head off any protest, Ned broke the kiss and flicked his tongue against her earlobe. "You feel so good," he murmured. "Mmm, sweetheart."

She shuddered again when he lightly sucked against her neck. Her head was lolling, but she blinked, taking a long breath when he grasped the hem of her shirt and began to slowly inch it up. "No," she breathed.

"I'm sorry," Ned murmured, releasing her shirt. He gazed at her for a moment, his eyes low-lidded, his lips still parted.

Nancy glanced down. "I guess I'm being ridiculous, aren't I," she murmured.

"What do you mean?" He cupped her face, stroking his thumb over her cheek.

"I mean I've slept beside you for most of the past week..." She glanced back up again. "Were you... expecting..."

"I try not to expect anything when it comes to you, sweetheart," he murmured, and smiled. "Did you think I might be expecting something?"

She nodded slowly. "Or at least that the other guys here were," she admitted. "I've seen the way they look at me when I come downstairs with you in the mornings..."

"But they aren't here right now," he said. "And I don't really care what anyone else is expecting or thinking, just you."

She smiled. "Can we make out some more?" she murmured.

"Hands off?"

She considered for a moment, then leaned forward and brushed the tip of her nose against his. "How about... no clothes come off, but you can put your hands under my shirt," she murmured, then kissed him.

"I'll take it," he chuckled, returning her kiss. "Damn, I wish I _could_ put both hands on you. God, your skin is so soft and smooth..."

They kissed slowly, and Nancy wrapped her arms around him, shivering as he slipped his hand under her shirt again. His fingertips brushed the back closure of her bra. "I guess this can't come off," he murmured.

"Not tonight," Nancy murmured against his lips.

"Not tonight, but maybe _tomorrow_ night...?"

Nancy chuckled. "We'll see," she murmured, sliding closer to him.

\--

On Saturday, many of the Omega Chi brothers were helping out at a fundraiser 5k in Emersonville, and afterward they headed to the Theta Pi house for a mixer. Ned had been catching up on his schoolwork during the 5k, but he had sent Nancy with the guys to Emersonville just so she could get some sun and fresh air. She had cajoled many of the guys into donating for her, and she placed well.

Nancy helped out at the Theta Pi house for the mixer preparations as well, and Brook commented with a glint in her eye that she had missed Nancy over the past week. The other girls joined in with the gentle teasing too, and Nancy blushed, murmuring that she would be sad to leave Emerson again. Brook said she was sure that was true.

She would be sad to leave Emerson. She would be sad to leave her boyfriend. As Mindy pointed out, not many guys she knew would actually take a _bullet_ to defend their girlfriends, and the other Theta Pi girls sighed in jealousy.

Nancy hated with every fiber of her being that Ned had even been put into that situation, but the memory of it, the scent of gunpowder in the air and his pale face in the back of the ambulance and how terribly fast her heart had been beating—Ned truly was one in a million. They had been in dangerous places before, around dangerous people, but she had so rarely confronted the idea of Ned's mortality, much less her own.

And taking her time, when she wasn't sure how much time they had left, just seemed senseless. Maybe they would have the next eighty years together; maybe they would have two years, maybe two months.

She went on a shopping trip Saturday afternoon and came back with plenty of bags, drafting some of the Omega Chi brothers to help her with preparing dinner. Paul manned the grill, Howie and Mike cut up marinated meat and fresh vegetables to make kebobs, and Nancy prepared a large batch of rice, warmed some sweet rolls, and made three large pans of brownies. Ned was on the couch in the common room working on a report and watching the other guys play a zombie-fighting video game.

The meal was great, and Nancy turned any praise back on the guys who had helped her. Ned dropped a kiss on the crown of her head to thank her, wrapping his good arm around her, and she smiled up into his eyes. When his palm brushed against her forearm, she suppressed a shiver. He was so warm, and last night, while she hadn't let him take her bra off, he had managed to talk her out of that sweet little camisole and shorts, his hand buried in her hair and her body sprawled over his as they had made out.

They made an appearance at the Theta Pi mixer, and many of the girls cooed over Ned's immobilized arm. Instead of putting on a falsely humble air, Ned just ducked his head and said it had been worth it, and he was healing nicely. He and Nancy shared a few slow dances, but they were both aware that the Omega Chi house was mostly empty, and it was her last night with him.

They left the party soon after and went back to Ned's room, and as soon as the door was closed behind them, Nancy tipped her face up to find Ned already tipping his down. He caught the hem of her short jersey dress in his fist, and she helped him pull it up. Her underwear was cotton trimmed in lace, and Ned smiled when he saw it.

She was careful when she helped him take his shirt off. While Ned was always optimistic and reassuring her that he was healing nicely, Nancy didn't want to take any chances with it.

"Nan?"

"Hmm?"

"I'm not dreaming, right?"

They were sitting on the edge of the bed, both in their underwear, with Nancy straddling her boyfriend's lap. They gazed into each other's eyes, each drunk with the joy of being in the other's arms.

"I don't think so," she murmured, running her hand through his hair. "If we are, it's a good dream, though, isn't it?"

"Definitely," Ned murmured, leaning forward and planting a soft kiss on her lips. "I guess my real question is, once I'm healed up and I can't give you puppy-dog eyes and ask you to kiss it and make it better... maybe we could keep doing this anyway?"

"You mean even when your frat brothers aren't going to give you five for bagging the girl who feels so insanely guilty that she almost got you killed..."

"Yep. Even when we're alone and no one knows how incredibly lucky I am."

"Lucky because you aren't dead." Nancy very gently touched his injured arm.

"Lucky because I have the best girlfriend a guy could ask for." He kissed her cheek, his palm warm against the small of her back. "I just... I was so afraid of freaking you out, Nan."

"I'm glad you didn't," she told him. "And you've been so patient with me... so maybe when you're out for the summer, we can take a little weekend away, just the two of us?" She giggled when his lips brushed her neck. "Make up for some lost time?"

"Sounds like the best idea I've ever heard," he told her, tilting backwards as their lips met again so she was sprawled over him.

Maybe she wasn't quite ready to go all the way yet... but there were a lot of stops they could make along the way, and she couldn't wait to find them.


End file.
